1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to photovoltaic mounting systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
With a growing need to harness solar power, larger and larger solar panel installations are being installed. These large scale installations are often installed in the ground. For these large installations to be successfully funded and interconnected, they must compete with existing energy sources such as natural gas and coal. Therefore the costs of these large scale ground mounted installation must be extremely economic. Specifically, the labor rates for installation is the most scrutinized cost as it often is greater than the material costs for the equipment. Utilities and municipalities are considering larger scale photovoltaic installations in areas of extreme environmental forces, such as very high wind or massive amounts of snow. The design of the large scale ground mount systems must be designed to survive these environmental forces while maintaining their economic appeal.